Decoupaging pressed flowers on furniture

Kerrin
by Kerrin
I would like to decorate the top of an old buffet I am refinishing with pressed flowers. Is modge podge the best applicator to use for this project?
top of buffet with pressed flowers layed out
the total surface of the buffet. Pressed flowers are ready to be glued.
  18 answers
  • Jan DeHennis Ries Jan DeHennis Ries on Jul 24, 2013
    I can't answer your question but look forward to seeing the finished project. It will be beautiful!
  • Kerrin Kerrin on Jul 24, 2013
    I am too....just don't want to screw up my vision.The flowers were pressed by my Auntie Muggy, a wonderful crafter and gardener extraordinare. She passed away in 2007 and I was lucky to get her telephone books that were filled with flowers and leaves she had pressed for projects she never completed. They are very delicate.
  • Mary Insana Mary Insana on Jul 24, 2013
    What a great idea to preserve your Aunts pressed flowers this way.
  • Sia@South 47th Sia@South 47th on Jul 24, 2013
    I think they would be better in a frame!!
  • Kerrin Kerrin on Jul 24, 2013
    i have a lot of them to spread around. wanting to use for gifts for family too.
  • Sia@South 47th Sia@South 47th on Jul 24, 2013
    @Kerrin I was just worried about damage to them on a buffet, drawer, etc. with the decoupage, on those surfaces. xo
  • Kerrin Kerrin on Jul 24, 2013
    normally I would be too but because this piece is unique and I got it for a bargain, I feel at liberty to be creative with it and see where it leads. At this point, the decoupage is on the buffet with the flowers in place. Now I have to figure out if I will modge podge the whole top or top with all with a acrylic top....not sure but will definitely post the results.
  • Lgsmith Lgsmith on Jul 25, 2013
    I would suggest taking one small flower to test and spraying it with a clear finish, letting it dry and see if this will protect the flower so it can be attached to the wood before you use the others. To attach the flower to the wood maybe a thin coat of varnish sprayed on the wood to "glue" it down. If this works and you can cover the whole top with polyurethane after the other flowers are attached. This worked with some leaves I saw once. Hope this helps and I hope it works too.
  • MaryKay@Studio23Thirty MaryKay@Studio23Thirty on Jul 26, 2013
    I think the pressed flowers are going to be too dimensional for mod podge. I think a lovely framed piece or shadow box would be more appropriate for the flowers. Good luck with your project!
  • Mary Insana Mary Insana on Jul 26, 2013
    If the flowers are covered with a two part poured epoxy it will look beautiful and they will forever imbedded in the top like the penny tables I've seen on here. In fact I have a penny top table drying after its first pour at this moment.
  • Valerie Valerie on Jul 26, 2013
    I decoupaged some flowers onto the drawer of a paper towel holder a few years ago. I have just looked at it carefully, and noticed that the flower (a daisy) has 'yellowed' quite a bit, and two pieces of lavender have retained their color nicely. I used several coats of modge podge (I was not aware of any alternatives at the time), and followed it with a number of coats of varnish. My flowers were on a side (rather than the top) surface. I do think that putting the flowers on a flat piece of furniture where it would be exposed to 'wear and tear' would not be a good idea, unless you place glass (obviously with a spacer) over the piece in order to protect the flowers, in which case I think that it could out well.
  • Gail lichtsinn Gail lichtsinn on Jul 26, 2013
    modge is NOT waterproof..Might be a good idea to put little round mounds they give you to keep glass from sliding ..That would raise it just a bit and put glass over it
  • Valerie Valerie on Jul 27, 2013
    @Gail lichtsinn I agree with you. Unfortunately I did not use the right terminology when I said that 'spacers' should be used to separate the glass from the decoupage, I was referring to the same 'little round mounds' that you mention.
  • Sharon Mieczkowski Sharon Mieczkowski on Jul 27, 2013
    As a pressed flower artist I have done some lovely clear glass plates w/ decoupaged flowers on the under neath side and while some are prone to fading quickly others stay vibrant. Do, yes, it can be done. I did several coats of Mod Podge over them and let each coat dry well. Most of my pressed flower creations are cards or framed. The 2 part epoxy like Environtex would work also but they will still fade over time giving them an antiqued look. Good luck!
  • Kerrin Kerrin on Jul 29, 2013
    Thank you so much for all of your input. I have started the process (used modge podge on two flowers) and have decided to add vintage photographs to the piece to create a victorian effect. I think putting glass over it is a great idea. I am not so worried about having a flat surface and I could put a wood trim or spacers to raise glass cover so that it would look like a framed piece of art. I would want it so that dust could not get under the glass. A friend suggested using a marine acrylic sealer to waterproof it. She swears by this method. I also have the drawers and the cabinets to play with. This piece has been like therapy for me. I have stripped and painted and stripped and stained and now modge podged....like me, this piece is in a process of becoming whatever it is meant to be. I am honoring the process and will share the outcome. :)
    • Thi4544413 Thi4544413 on Jun 24, 2016
      I'm anxious to see your process and the final outcome. This can become an heirloom piece!
  • CARA CARA on Aug 08, 2013
    Why not just get a piece of glass cut and have the sides polished. You could arrange your flowers on top then cover with the glass?
  • I use Dixie Belle Satin Sealer instead of Mod Podge, it's a furniture sealer but I use it for all my decoupage DIYs.